Revising and editing are two entirely different things to me. In this post I will share with you what revising means to me and what I do during the revision stage. Below follow the way that I revise my fiction.

Highlighters

I’m a visual person, someone who responds to colors, and I’ve found that revising my fictional drafts with the help of highlighters make the manuscript easier to understand (for the lack of a better word).

How, you may ask? Well, I use different colors for different aspects in the manuscript. This makes it easier for me to see how I write, what I need to improve, what I use too much of, etc.

What I do with the highlighters is pretty simple (it’s a method I read about a few years back but can’t find the source again):

Purple — Plot points: hook, midpoint, resolution, etc. I usually make a note in the margin of the text where the different plot points begin and highlight the note.

Beware: Readers tend to skim sections with green (settings and descriptions) and yellow (narrative, backstory, etc.). Make sure that these sections in your story count.

I personally tend to write more dialogue and narrative and be quick when it comes to settings and descriptions in my first drafts. I probably never would have noticed this if I hadn’t used the highlights in my manuscripts.

With the help of highlights I know what I need to improve (at least when it comes to the balance of dialogue, setting/descriptions and narrative).

You can use this method whether you choose to revise digitally or on paper. I personally revise on paper because I get a clearer view over the manuscript. But, the choice is yours. Do what you feel most comfortable with and what works best for you.

Different Stages of Revising

I personally, at the moment, have six stages in my revising process (this can, of course, change over time depending on what I need to improve with my writing). Before every stage, I print out the manuscript and use the highlighting method above.

When everything is highlighted I begin by looking over the balance of the story. And, like I mentioned above, I tend to skip settings and descriptions when writing my first drafts. That’s why my first step in my revising process is to add settings and descriptions.

Plot holes — Fix plot holes if there are any: think about how characters move from one place to another, how they solve problems and conflicts, other inconsistencies, etc.

Characterization — Fix possible inconstancies in appearances, mannerisms, personalities, etc. Also make sure that their goals and motivations (especially the protagonist’s goals and motivations) are clear.

Plot points — Make sure that the different plot points are where they should be in the story.

Tone and feel — Fix so that the dark scenes are dark, the funny scenes are funny, the scary scenes are scary, etc. to bring the tone and feel that I want my story to have.

Pacing — Make sure that the pace of the story is well-balanced and that the action scenes, in particular, are fast-paced.

My view of the revision process is about the bigger picture of the manuscript. It’s not about the smaller things like unnecessary words or spelling mistakes. I save that for the editing process.

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